Daria - On Thursday the 16th of November we went to the old Melbourne Gaol, we learned how people have tried to escape and reasons why people were brought to the jail. We learned how people were executed ( How they died ), and we learned about how some people were punished not by death but by mentally challenging consequences. When we arrived, the jail was high walled, and dark coloured obviously because it is quite old and supposed to be a punishment on its own. We had a tour guide that talked to us a bit about Ned Kelly because later that day we were going to do a theatre based play of Ned Kelly’s last trial, we then walked into the actual jail with the jail cells, each cell was quite dark and creepy, because of the thought that people used to live in them and died at the jail. We learned about what the prisoners ate, how they were hanged, that some of the prisoners could have said their last words and that some of the cells were apparently haunted. We learned a lot about the past and how a jail would have been run. Overall it was a fun and educational experience. 

Abigail - The Old Melbourne Gaol was an interesting learning about Ned Kelly and the executions from the 1800s. I liked going into Ned Kelly’s cell and looking at his death mask. I loved acting out Ned Kelly’s trial and standing next to ‘Ned Kelly’ the whole act, it was funny when the judge (Aria) banged the gavel on the block.

Taylor - The Old Melbourne Gaol was a fun experience. My favourite part was the courtroom drama, when we roleplayed the Ned Kelly trial. I also enjoyed looking at the cells from the late 1800s. We also learnt about the cells on each floor and where they stay depending on their crimes.

Katelyn - Our excursion to the Old Melbourne Gaol was very interesting and informative, giving us insight into one of Australia’s most influential events; the trial of Ned Kelly and how prisoners were treated in the 1800s-1900s. The jail had a somewhat intimidating appearance, although the courtyard looked different. The cells were considered creepy, and some specific cells were even recognised as “haunted”. I enjoyed the courtroom drama, as it explained what happened during the trial of Ned Kelly in an enjoyable way. It was a great experience, and memorable for our last year of primary school.